After Misaki was teleported away, Natsuki couldn't help but bury her head on her desk, thinking about how foolish she'd just been.
"You think someone who's been sleeping these past few days would know the answer to that?" Aiba Asagi retorted.
Facing her gaze, Cid nodded. How many things in the world could really be hidden from her? Thanks to her, Cid didn't even dare to save any Power in the Shadows related videos on his phone.
"Well, I do know some things," she sighed. "But you being so confident in my information gathering still makes me feel like you're just using me as a tool."
See? Told you she knew. As for her complaining, Cid didn't really care. She might look unhappy about being a tool right now, but whether she'd even remember this conversation tomorrow was a real question.
"Well, you're my only friend at school. Who else would I ask?" Cid said, even though his thoughts were different. He still gave her an explanation.
"Fine. What do you want to know? There's been a lot of big news lately. But just so you know, I can't guarantee any of this is true. Most of it is stuff I saw online."
Cid knew that. Unless it directly involved her, Aiba Asagi usually wasn't interested enough to seriously check if the things she knew were true.
"If I knew specifically, I wouldn't ask so vaguely," Cid said. "Hmm... focus on the things that are most likely to affect us."
"Hmm... good point. Let me think. Does the news about more transfer students coming count?"
"Are they special in any way? If not, then skip it. What's so strange about transfer students?"
Transfer students might be rare at normal schools, but not at theirs. It was basically a school for nobles, so people from various powerful groups or talented commoners transferred in all the time.
"Rumor has it, the two new third-year transfers are the strongest of the younger generation from the Underworld. Is that strange enough? One is Sairaorg Bael, from the Bael family. The other is Diodora Astaroth, who defeated Agares to become the new head of his clan. I also gathered some info on them and their peerages, if you need... What's with that look?"
"No, nothing." Cid forced down the urge to make a sarcastic comment as he looked at her pulling up all sorts of files on her computer.
You call this 'mostly stuff you saw online'? You even gathered info on their peerages! What are you planning? Trying to start your own group and get your own King chess piece?
Of course, that was just a sarcastic thought. Cid didn't think Aiba Asagi was that foolish. Her talent was good among students, but just "good."
If she joined someone else's group and got her master's permission later, starting her own group was very possible.
But trying to get a chess piece with just her talent now, without any powerful family background? Two words: keep dreaming.
"There's also a new transfer student in the first year. Seems to be from some organization called the Lion King Agency. Very promising, and very strong."
"(Whispering) For a moment, I wasn't sure if she was here to compete with me for a chess piece, or to become one of my peerage members."
Cid was shocked.
"Asagi, what did you just say?"
Is she really planning to fight for the free chess pieces the school puts out? Doesn't she know that eighty percent of those free pieces are already claimed by descendants of gods and demons who have high family status but lost out to their own family members for various reasons?
The remaining twenty percent are even harder to get. You have to compete with truly talented commoners for those.
"Huh? Did I say something?"
Seeing Aiba Asagi playing dumb, Cid stayed quiet for a moment, then decided to pretend he hadn't heard clearly.
"No, I must have misheard. Where were we?"
"Besides that, there's another interesting piece of news. The first year's 'Saintess' supposedly dropped out. She hasn't been to school for a while."
"'Saintess'?"
"Not a real Saintess. It's a nickname other students gave her."
"If she dropped out, then there's no need to talk about her. Next."
"That's it."
"That's it?"
Aiba Asagi nodded.
"There are a few other things, but they probably won't affect us... wait, no, there's one more thing."
As if suddenly remembering something, Aiba Asagi pulled up a page on her computer.
"What is it?"
"It's said that one of the world's strongest, a true top five, the Emperor of Netheril who has titles like God of Magic, Demon Lord, Savior of Witches, and so on will appear at the Tri-Nation Friendship and Peace Conference hosted by Aldegyr. And the location is Itogami Island."
"That's definitely fake. I don't even know about this."
Aiba Asagi's hands stopped typing on the keyboard. She looked at Cid strangely.
"Even though I also don't think the legendary, elusive Emperor of Netheril would appear so easily before the world, what's with your tone? You sound like you're the Emperor himself."
"You know, right now this is just a rumor. But you, Cid, are saying it so certainly. If he doesn't show up, it's no big deal. But if he does show up, what you said is spreading false information. If those fanatical witch cultists find out, Cid, you'll be waiting to get caught."
"Uh, uh, uh... it's just us two here, right? I trust you won't expose me. Is there anything else, Asagi?"
Towards Cid's attitude, Aiba Asagi could only say...
"You really have a big heart. You need to understand, some groups are already suspecting that those fanatical witch cultists have reached a point where their intelligence network on their King is so good that if anyone even mentions their King, they'll know about it."
Cold sweat dripped down Cid's back.
"You're ex-exaggerating, Asagi. That's impossible, no matter how you think about it."
Aiba Asagi rolled her eyes at Cid.
"That's why it's not surprising you can't even pass little Rossweisse's tests, Cid. We're talking about a legend who almost sent the Eurasian continent flying with a single spell and nearly destroyed the entire world. It's not strange at all for them to create magic of that level."
It was a good thing Aiba Asagi didn't turn around. Otherwise, she would have seen the strange sight of Cid sweating buckets in an air-conditioned classroom.
….
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